Chaos in Amasaman as traders protest against "untimely demolition" exercise

General News on Friday, August 2nd, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-08-02

Chaos reigned Friday in Amasaman, a suburb of the Ga West municipality in the Greater Accra region, following a demolition exercise at the market.

Angry market women accused the city's chief executive, Clement Wilkinson, of spearheading the demolition exercise; a request that the MCE refused.

According to them, they lost thousands of cedis as a result of the exercise that took place on Friday at dawn.

Some of the victims claimed that the exercise had been undertaken without notice.

Addressing Citi News, one of the leaders of disgruntled traders, Stephen Adu Adjei, sent a seven-day ultimatum to President Nana Akufo-Addo to call Clement Wilkinson at order or at risk. to lose votes in the 2020 general election.

Other traders who spoke to Citi News were angry at the demolition.

"At the dawn of the market, we saw police coming in with firearms and, all of a sudden, started demolishing some of our structures without any explanation."

"I'm selling at a place on the shoulder of the road and we've been given a new location. I managed to obtain funds of a total of 500 cedis to buy cement to repair my seat and let the police demolish my structure. I do not understand the reason behind all this … We are all Ghanaians, some are CDN members, others are NPP, so why do they have to do that? "

But the ERM, Clément Wilkinson denied the request.

"According to them, it is claimed that the person is Clement but I am not that one. You can go to the commander of the police division, the person brought before the arrival here, you can listen to it. I was in the hospital and I heard what was happening and that's why I came here … Do you think I'll do it? [spearhead the demolition excercise] if I went to the elections in the region. "

Demolition of unauthorized structures along the Odorkor Highway This follows recent downgrading exercises in the Greater Accra region.

Hundreds of unauthorized structures located along the Odorkor Highway were demolished on Friday by the Ablekuma North Municipal Assembly.

The occupants of the structures accused the badembly of not having given them notice of expulsion and sought compensation from the government.

Demolition in Maamobi The Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly also demolished several structures near the Maamobi General Hospital in Accra last week to pave the way for the construction of an office complex intended for the badembly.

The structures served as homes and stores for some welders who lived in the area for decades.

In addition, hundreds of structures along the beaches behind Black Star Square have been demolished recently to pave the way for the Marine Drive project.